civil service

noun

: the administrative service of a government or international agency exclusive of the armed forces
especially : one in which appointments are determined by competitive examination

Examples of civil service in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Other actions mentioned in the email could run afoul of civil service laws, which are intended to safeguard most federal employees from political pressure and interference, as well as union contracts. Chris Cameron, New York Times, 29 Jan. 2025 To shrink the budget, civil service, and regulatory scope of government on this scale is an enormous task, and DOGE has recruited leaders from Silicon Valley to develop the plan. Russell Muirhead, Foreign Affairs, 23 Jan. 2025 Four specific moves — illegally attempting to end birthright citizenship, reviving the Schedule F order that could initiate a civil service purge, pardoning January 6 rioters, and ordering multiple investigations into the Biden administration — deserve particular attention. Vox Staff, Vox, 23 Jan. 2025 Citing unnamed sources within the Chinese civil service, Bloomberg said some of the pay rises were carried out as lump sum payments and without notice. Hugh Cameron, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for civil service 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1770, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of civil service was circa 1770

Dictionary Entries Near civil service

Cite this Entry

“Civil service.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil%20service. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

civil service

noun
: the branch of a government that takes care of the business of running a state but that does not include the lawmaking branch, the military, or the court system
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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